Success for the customer: Faster custom part printed in less than 72 hours in a small number of pieces, little effort in the design, turning and machining of the component no longer necessary. The component is also reliable due to its robustness

Inspired by the Formula 1, the student teams of the "Formula Student Germany" construction competition compete with each other. For constructing their racing cars, the Formula Student Team from Weingarten near Ravensburg needed customised plastic pinions, among other things. These are used as chain tensioners in the chain drive. Unfortunately, pinions in special sizes have long delivery times and the classic production with machining is time-consuming. Here, the 3D printing service by igus® was able to provide quick help and produced the plastic pinions in less than 72 hours.

The designers not only save time, because the online configurator enables the simple construction of a digital 3D model. The special part production takes place via the so-called SLS process (selective laser sintering). A coater spreads a very thin layer of plastic powder on a construction platform. The printer then uses a laser to fuse the powder wherever the component is to be produced according to the 3D model. The platform is then lowered by the thickness of a layer and the process starts again. After a few hours the printed pinion is finished. Thanks to the 3D printing, the usual turning and machining with the corresponding drawing department are eliminated," explains Richy Göser of the Weingarten Formula Student Team.

"Probably the production with the 3D printer is also more economical in small quantities. "

Robust components made of tribopolymers

For use as a chain tensioner in the chain drive of the motor, the pinion must be very tough. Here, too, the iglidur® tribopolymers demonstrate their strengths compared to ordinary polymers. The high-performance plastics were developed by igus® specifically for dynamic applications in the industry. In this case, the iglidur® I6 was used, which is more resistant to wear than common plastics for laser sintering printing. The wear resistance of this material was tested in the in-house test laboratory. The experts tested a worm wheel with 5 Nm torque and 12 rpm. The gear wheel made of polyamide 12, a classic material for laser sintering printing, failed after just 521 cycles due to its high coefficient of friction. The iglidur® I6, on the other hand, showed only minor wear after one million cycles and was fully functional. "Such tests show us that we can rely on the material," says Göser. "The previously used ball bearings in the chain drive held barely more than 20 kilometres - which is unsatisfactory because our longest race is 22 kilometres long. We expect much more robustness from the 3D printed sprockets from igus® in the 2019 season." "

Further application reports

Plastic gears printed in 3D for charging system for electric cars

Easelink, a company from Graz, has developed "Matrix Charging", a charging system consisting of two components. A charging pad connected to the mains is installed in the car park. A connector on the bottom of the e-car drops down when parked over the pad. The charging process starts automatically, without the driver having to connect a cable. Use the igus® 3D printing service to make sure the development of prototypes remains cost-effective while ensuring high quality.

Fast availability at a low price and use under hygienic conditions were important prerequisites for this 3D-printed gripper. It is used to package cosmetic products and has the special advantage of working without additional lubrication, hence fulfilling hygienic requirements.

What do you do when an important replacement part for an exhibit suddenly goes missing on the way to the trade fair? The response of the Berlin-based company Blackcam, a manufacturer of camera motion systems, is to turn to the igus 3D printing service.

Made of bar stock: special bearings for highest precision in ophthalmology

iglidur® bar stock is used to manufacture a microscope arm for eye examinations. The reason: it can be machined to produce customised plain bearings down to sizes measured in μm to ensure the necessary precision for examinations.

Made with injection moulding: Big savings in time and cost with iglidur® plain bearings

For this intensive cultivator, up to one hour of maintenance and lubrication of the bearings were needed daily, since the Lemken GmbH und Co. KG still used DU bushings. Since plain bearings made of iglidur high-performance materials from igus are in use, lubrication after use of the intensive cultivator can be dispensed with completely since self-lubricating solid lubricants are integrated in the bearings. At the same time the iglidur plain bearings easily withstand the high forces in the overload element of the cultivator.

Cookies are important for a website to function correctly. In order to provide you with a more enjoyable website experience we use cookies to store your information. This allows us to provide you with a secure login, to collect statistical information for enhanced website functionality and to provide you with content that is tailored to your needs. Click on „Privacy Policy“ for a detailed description of the types of cookies we use and for information on opt-out options.